Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! First off, I want to thank You for another lovely weekend with my family and friends. Date night with my wonderful wife Shannon on Saturday night was a great way to end the week, and although I ended up “under the weather” on Sunday, I was Blessed in that my family made sure I had the quiet time I needed to rest and recuperate. I certainly wasn’t as productive as I had originally planned on being, but the downtime did help us all to recharge our batteries for the week ahead.
Today Lord, I want to delve further into my Focus Word (Accept) for the year and how it’s already affected my thoughts and actions. It’s amazing to me, but since You placed that word in my heart I find it jumping into my head quite regularly. For example, I had a situation this weekend where I was extremely uncomfortable with the way someone was acting in a public situation. They weren’t doing anything wrong per-se, but it made me feel awkward all the same.
“You need to Accept them for who they are” I heard in the back of my head.
Fair enough. As I said, they weren’t doing anything wrong and they certainly weren’t hurting me in any way. I realized I had just taken it upon myself to feel uncomfortable at the way they were behaving, and was letting it affect my disposition.
Therefore, today’s statement of focus from my experience this weekend is :
I need to Accept that God has made each of us an individual who is unique and special.
Now please understand Father, this doesn’t mean I won’t stand up against people doing something morally or ethically wrong, or not confront evil wherever I see it. I simply need to have more flexibility when dealing with differences in how Your Children act and interact with others. You’ve made us all wonderfully individual and unique, and I’m going to work on celebrating those differences more. Amen.
~Phather Phil
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we all acted the same (Christians, that is). But then we’d be pretty boring I guess. We just have to embrace our differences. As long as we love and believe in Jesus as our Savior and trust in His Word we’ll all be in heaven together one day!
Amen Allison! 🙂
Accepting situations, people, etc. is difficult sometimes. But definately a word to think about…alot. We must remember to accept others the way God has accepted us…in spite of who we are. He died accepting us and all of our messes, mistakes, and disobedience. I guess that’s how we are able to love others the way He first loved us. Only because of the Holy Spirit are we able to do this…and even then its hard! Great post!
Isn’t it interesting how one word can make such an impact? I never expected it to be as powerful as it’s turning out to be when I took on this challenge. Anything that helps me walk closer to His Example is certainly welcomed though, even when the lesson hurts a little.
Have a Blessed Day!
We are all fearfully and wonderfully made. We do accept our differences and as much as possible, live in peace with one another.
“Fearfully and Wonderfully made.”… Great statement Lisa! I certainly try to accept everyone’s differences, but it’s always a learning experience.
Have a Blessed Day!
Phil once again you are making me think. The one person i have most difficulties accepting is myself. I hope with Gods help ican learn to be more accepting of myself. thanks Phil.
Thank you Katie. Accepting ourselves is possibly one of life’s most difficult challenges. I hope you can see yourself through God’s eyes, even for a second, and realize how truly special you are. 🙂
Have a Blessed Day!
Great post! Yes we need to stand up for what is right, but we also need to learn to accept everyone’s uniqueness. Thanks for this reminder!
And sometimes Jenifer, that’s a fine line to walk… At least it has been for me. Thank you, and have a Blessed Day!
Hope you are feeling better. Love how you wished God a Happy Monday. Good conversation and massaging the word accept, Phil. I know I have been led lately to images of my word for the year: formation. Have been seeing photos of the potter’s hands, working with clay. I wonder what image ‘accept’ would bring?
That’s a fascinating question Jean… I’ll have to think on that one. I hadn’t really thought of putting an image with the word, but I think it’s a great exercise!
Have a Blessed Day!